1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to encryption and, more particularly, encrypting a file on a computer system based on the content of the file.
2. Description of the Related Art
Businesses, organizations and government entities rely on computer systems and storage area networks (SANs) for managing and storing enormous quantities of data and information. Safeguarding the stored data typically includes backing up the stored data and maintaining one or more copies of the stored data at a different physical location than the original data. Further, the stored data may be encrypted to prevent unauthorized use and access to the data.
A “one size fits all” encryption approach to securing data is not always desirable for an organization. In addition to safeguarding data, the organization usually needs to identify and retrieve specific data and information for audit purposes or for compliance with certain governmental regulations. Encrypting all of the stored data in the same way, i.e., using the same encryption methodology and encryption key(s), does not differentiate between the content of the encrypted data. Further, any person with knowledge of the encryption methodology and encryption key can gain access to all of the encrypted data. Thus, conventional encryption techniques do not differentiate between the type of information being stored or the purpose to which the information is related.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a policy-based method of encryption. The method differentiates between different types of data based upon a policy set by the user and then encrypts the data based upon the content of the data.